| Graduation Year | Class of 1973 |
| Date of Passing | Aug 01, 2016 |
| About | C. EVERETT WALLACE, ESQ. C. Everett Wallace, beloved husband of Linda Thomas Wallace, passed unexpectedly August 1, 2016 at his home in Durham, North Carolina at the age of 64. A Celebration of the Life of “E” will be held on Saturday, August 27, 2016 at Clements Funeral Home at 1105 Broad St in Durham. Visitation will begin at 11:00 am followed by a Memorial Service at 12:30 pm. Special online condolences for family and friends may be expressed at www.clementsfuneralservice.com. The family respectfully requests no flowers. Please consider making a donation to the White Oak Foundation, Inc. in Everett Wallace’s honor at www.whiteoakfoundation-apex.com. Everett was born in Chicago, IL on August 16, 1951 to Lieutenant Samuel R. Wallace and Helen Maybelline (Cherry) Wallace. He was one of six children born to the couple. In addition to his parents, he was predeceased by his son, Jason Coffee, his mother-in-law, Lucy C. Thomas, father-in-law, Andrew J. Thomas, brother-in-law, Ronald West and a sister-in-law, Karen Thomas. Surviving, in addition to his wife, are his loving brothers Malcolm L. Wallace (Delores) of Olive Branch, MS, La `Mont A. Wallace (Dee-Dee) of Chicago, IL and George C. Jones, Jr. (Debra) of Hendersonville, NC; his loving sisters LeWanda West of Matteson, IL, Michele R. Wallace of Dixmoor, IL and Roxanne Wallace (Archester Neal) of Matteson, IL; his loving sister-in-law Rosemary Thomas King (Nathaniel) of Old Hickory, TN; his brothers-in-law James D. Thomas (Nancy) of Lakewood, CO and Philip L. Thomas of Ottawa, IL. He is also survived by a host of nieces and nephews who loved him dearly. As a scholar, Everett obtained his undergraduate and juris doctorate degrees with honors in taxation and corporate law from Northwestern University. He completed his Master of Laws (LLM) at University of Chicago School of Law. Upon graduation, Everett was the first African American attorney for Memphis Light, Gas and Water. While in Memphis, he was instrumental in the reestablishment of the Memphis Chapter of the National Bar Association Everett served in a number of senior positions in the federal government including: General Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development, Senior Legislative Assistant to the U.S. Senate Majority Leader, Counsel and Analyst for the U.S. Senate Budget Committee, staff member of the President’s Transition Team on Environment and Natural Resources and Head of Transition and Chief of Staff for the Department of Health and Human Services. Everett's record in the private sector has been equally impressive. His business experience includes the ownership and operation of one of the nation’s top 20 minority owned companies. He also held business interests in the areas of computer software, telecommunications, real estate development and the specialty retail business. Everett's business acumen and civic contributions were acknowledged in a variety of national and local publications. He moved to the Triangle area of North Carolina to serve as President of North Carolina Community Development Initiative Capital (Initiative Capital). In this role, Everett secured more than $22 million in new financing to support the work of community development corporations across the state of North Carolina. More recently, as President of Wallace Enterprises, Everett became recognized nationally as an expert in the areas of financial services, franchise development, housing, small business finance and community economic development. Over the past two decades, he was instrumental in establishing several of the nation’s largest minority businesses in the areas of franchising and product distribution. He has successfully developed national programs, initiatives and tools using franchise systems as a tool to build wealth and revitalize underserved communities. Everett was a proud member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. |
